Dear Record Store Owners, Don't Do This (Break the Records, Not the Bank)

[@budsmoker4201120]

I agree that was a 5 dollar or less album.

[@AudiophileStooge]

That needle looks like it's riding pretty hard. What stylus and cartridge are you running?

[@giantorangerecords]

@@AudiophileStooge thanks for seeing that! It is an AT-95C/H stylus and headshell. I have made some adjustments to the counterweight and there’s way more space between the headshell and the stylus now.

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

Funny i just pretty much destroyed an og Ramones Rocket to Russia trying to get it flat a few weeks ago. It was warped the same way but way worse than yours, i just kept pushing the bump to a different spot so it was getting overall flatter but the bump was getting more pronounced, it used to be a long wave now its a sharp short speed bump that the cartridge will never track

[@giantorangerecords]

What a bummer.... that these awesome records should be bent so out of shape. I guess there's always another copy out there.

[@kennethnorman8079]

⁠Way to take responsibility for yourself. Most record store people are chancers that don’t care about condition. There has been a phenomenon here in Los Angeles over the last few years that hipster record stores put out high end records in shit shape and try and project the idea that it’s somehow more desirable because it’s been in the wars. This is of course moronic. When people try and resell the record, they’re shocked that they can’t recoup their investment. That said, unless your IQ doesn’t surpass your shoe size, every record in the world should have a sign over the door saying “buyer beware”. It’s your money and your responsibility. And to your claim that I’m a dick…Of course I’m a dick. I’ve worked at record stores all my life and owned one for the last 30 years. Hooray for me. I get to deal with record collectors all the time.

[@giantorangerecords]

I must say I enjoy your sense of humor! Thanks for your input! I suppose record grading is one of those things that takes a while to understand. HiFi stereos make these imperfections even more obvious.

[@SOUPENE]

thanks for showing my shelf bro 😊

[@DerekPugh-uj4yd]

My copy of Pleasant Dreams has a side one...jealous? 😁

[@giantorangerecords]

Not really haha... just makes it a fun guessing game. If you look at the grooves long enough you can tell which side is the real side one.

[@kennethnorman8079]

Well, I understand your pain, but it's impossible to do anything other than visually grade large amounts of run of the mill vinyl. If you've been doing it for any amount of time, you can detect slight warps and major problems by sight, but the onus is on the buyer ultimately to check their purchases before you mosey up to the register and ask for your discount. That said, any reputable record store should allow returns on such items as obvious mistakes. Now if all you wanna do is bitch about how life is unfair(a common theme in record stores), I can't help you and no amount of advice is going to temper borderline personality disorder, but it never hurts to try.

[@giantorangerecords]

Well Ken, I've bought a lot of records from a lot of record stores over the past 25 years. I'm just trying to educate people so they don't run into the same issues I've had. Some record stores do it right, but sadly many do not. If these were in the dollar bin and they were pretty messed up, that'd be one thing. It's the dollar bin. But it seems like you look down on and don't bother checking the condition of "run of the mill vinyl" that gets listed for, in this case, anywhere from $6 - $22. In this case there should be a very obvious note about it near the price tag. Who wants to spend $22 on an unplayable record that they won't take back that I cannot resell due to its poor condition? I wouldn't even give this away. Or who wants to spend $6 on a record that could break your stylus? That's not a good business practice. Again, I happened to be able to find The Ventures "Flights of Fantasy" on Discogs for the same price in much better condition, and I'm very happy with this record, but when I'm in a real record store that's not what's on my mind. I've learned to be more careful. The really good record stores will not put such junk out on the floor at all, or if they do, they will make a legible note of the condition being an issue. Don't assume that I ask for discounts, because I don't. I never said life was unfair, I said please don't sell me broken records or unplayable records. There's a not-so-subtle difference. I love to support small record stores, but many have let me down over the years. Even I can't spot everything when I'm browsing at record stores. The excitement of finding a record can hijack a record collector's brain at times. I'm not going to sit there with a flashlight and magnifying glass and scrutinize every record. That's the store's job. That's my opinion and I'm allowed to express it. I've been doing this record collecting thing for quite a while now.

[@budsmoker4201120]

You sound like a real peach. You must be a lovely person. Invest in your business and sonic clean your used records for your customers. You catch more flies with honey then vinegar. There are 2 record stores in Houston that do it and that price to sale. Austin is even better. It can be done. It was cool when you where trying to get 2 to 5 for a led zeppelin album. But now days people are asking crazy prices for used albums. Invest in your business.

[@rabarebra]

@@giantorangerecords "Who wants to spend $22 on an unplayable record that they won't take back " Who on Earth wouldn't take the record back? ALL, I mean ALL stores where I live in Scandinavia takes the record in return if you are not satisfied with it.

[@giantorangerecords]

@@rabarebra That's awesome! My favorite record store is 5 minutes from my house, and they take records back if I simply "didn't like it." Sometimes I do venture out to other record stores and they sell broken and warper records. It happens more than it should. And that's the entire point of this video. There are a lot of new record stores now that vinyl is cool again. But the stores who put their customers first will always win and will have fiercely loyal customers for life.

[@rabarebra]

@@giantorangerecords Look at the records before you buy. Any record collector with experience knows this. Pay attention.